IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Dermanyssus gallinae (also known as red mite or poultry mite) is an ectoparasite of poultry that feeds on the blood of the animal. It causes itching, general discomfort, stress, anemia, fatigue, feather pecking, cannibalism and sometimes death. In laying hens, it worsens feed conversion, reduces the laying rate and impairs egg quality (eggs show pale yolks and fragile shells; eggs may be covered by mites or blood stains).
More than 70% of layers housed in traditional cages are affected by infestations of red mites, a problem that worsens during the warm season (when the temperature is more than 25ºC).
Red mites are vectors of diseases such as Newcastle Disease, Fowl Cholera and Salmonellosis. On the other hand, these parasites may bite the workers of the farm and cause dermatitis.
The losses caused by red mites in the European Union are 130 million euro/year.
The traditional treatment is based on the use of chemical acaricides, but they can leave toxic residues in the eggs, birds and workers. Moreover, the resistance to chemical acaricides is increasing rapidly and many chemical acaricides need a withdrawal period that ranges between 12 hours and 14 days, depending on if they are used on broilers or layers.
Medicinal plants have been used traditionally as insecticides from the beginning of civilization. It is believed that the Chinese crushed chrysanthemum plants and used the powder as an insecticide as early as 1000 B.C.
In the past decades, the acaricide and insecticide efficacy of many plant extracts and essential oils has been scientifically proven. Their effect is often attributed to the major component of the extracts, but there is evidence that the different compounds present in the extract work together in synergy.
Using essential oils to prevent and fight infestations by red mites is eco-friendly, helps to fulfill regulatory and consumer’s demands of food safety, protects the health of the workers of the farm and contributes to obtain a premium price for meat and eggs. Furthermore, products based on essential oils do not develop resistances and do not generate residues.
Essential oils are effective against red mites through four complementary mechanisms of action:
Trial Site: Farm with one million laying hens, suffering from mites infestation at the peak of egg production.
Date: April, 2020
Purpose: To verify the “in vitro· effectiveness of the product based on essential oils PhytoErad©.
Procedure
Results – Number of active mites
Note: The mites are constantly moving in the Petri dishes, and the experiment takes place in a farm, so the above data is a rough count.
It can be seen from the table above that a 5% PhytoErad© can kill all mites in the two Petri dishes within 1 hour, and a 10% PhytoErad© solution can kill all mites in the two Petri dishes within 40 minutes.
Conclusion
The “in vitro” effectiveness of PhytoErad© was confirmed by this experiment, corroborating its efficacy against red mites.
PhytoErad© es una solución oral a base de aceites esenciales, para añadir al agua de bebida.
PhytoErad© es una forma efectiva, segura y natural de prevenir la infestación por insectos y ácaros, evitando el uso de insecticidas que pueden generar residuos en la carne y los huevos.
Picture of the red mite found here. Stop icon found here. Plant vector found here.
Certain health statements may not be applicable in your region.